The weeks following what would be dubbed “The Dinner” weren’t easy, for Twilight nor Rarity. Regardless of how much Twilight swore it wasn’t Rarity’s fault and that she was getting over it, the alabaster unicorn couldn’t help but feel a monumental amount of guilt. In her eyes, she had ruined a family. And, if the first twelve days after The Dinner were any indication, it would all be for nothing.
Similar to Rarity’s unwilling and irreversible guilt was Twilight’s bitterness. Though not directed at her girlfriend, Rarity did receive the brunt of the alicorn princess’ “blue period”. Twilight Sparkle was very antisocial by nature, and she reverted back to her old hermit tendencies. The two stopped spending as much time together, with Twilight always busying herself in that secret laboratory of hers. The last willing hug and kiss that Rarity had gotten out of Twilight was on the night of The Dinner. Their friends noticed, of course, and began to prepare themselves for the worst, the news that nobody wanted and everyone secretly feared.
Then, exactly nineteen days after The Dinner, Twilight decided to go for a walk with her beloved Rarity. Rarity was in her Boutique, working on one of her side projects to keep herself busy, when she heard a knock at the door. She rushed from her workshop and to the front door, ripping it open in a frenzy.
“Hi,” said Twilight plainly.
“H-hello,” returned Rarity. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Same to you. Listen, I think we should talk,” said Twilight, planting a huge rock of panic in the insecure Rarity. “Things have been… Things have been different between us, I think is the best way to say it. I’m sorry for that.”
“Of course you are, darling, but don’t be,” said Rarity, tugging at her hair nervously. “It’s not your fault. If anything, it’s mine. I just want you to know that I-”
“Let’s go for a walk, shall we?” suggested Twilight. “Get some fresh air, so I can clear my head.”
Rarity wasn’t too affected by the rudeness of her love. She was mostly just excited to be talking to her again. Part of Rarity, a ridiculous asinine part of her truly believed that Twilight intended never to speak to her again. Just being in the princess’ presence felt like a resuscitation of sorts.
“Whatever you need, darling. Just let me fetch a jacket.”
Rarity hovered a purple jacket from her closet and was out the door before she had it halfway on her body. The two walked side-by-side, neither daring to break the silence for several minutes. Rarity looked Twilight up and down, assessing her physical and mental state. The last time she had seen Twilight was three days ago, and she had been wearing the same lavender sweater and pink skirt. Her hair was fairly messy, messier than she normally allowed it to get. Rarity couldn’t be positive from her small glance, but it seemed to her that Twilight’s wings were more bare than usual. The Princess of Friendship was… molting.
The two remained in silence for ten minutes, one out of nerves and the other out of preoccupation. It wasn’t until they took a turn into Ponyville Public Park did Rarity decide it was time to break the silence.
“I’ve missed you,” said Rarity as they strolled down the path of the calm, near-empty park. “I feel like Sweetie Belle has seen you more than I have in the past few weeks.”
“I’ve been in the lab most of the time, so she’s only really been seeing Spike,” said Twilight. “I sorta wish he didn’t get along with Sweetie so much. I could really have used his company.”
“I tried to visit you, but you seemed…” Rarity struggled to find the right word.
“Angry? Bitter? Resentful?”
“I was going to say ‘distracted’, but those are all fairly accurate,” said Rarity. Twilight sort of shrugged, but didn’t say anything to argue her point.
“Yeah. All four of those are perfect adjectives for me right now,” said Twilight. “I can only imagine how you must be feeling. My dad… Night Light… He was completely out of line. I know you said that you don’t care, but I can’t let it go. It might not bother you, but it infuriates me. Part of the reason I’ve been so sparse lately is that I’ve been so angry, I was afraid I’d lash out at you.”
“Darling, you truly needn’t worry,” promised Rarity, planting her hand on Twilight’s shoulder. “I know that it can’t be easy for you. I’d be terrified if you weren’t angry after what you’ve been through.”
“We. What we’ve been through.”
Silence was resurrected for a spell, this one slightly more comfortable than the last. Twilight took in a deep breath, breathing in the cool spring air. She wrapped her arm around Rarity and pulled her closer, intertwining her fingers with Rarity’s.
“I don’t want to lose you,” whispered Twilight. “Least of all because I can’t deal with my daddy issues.”
“I’m in this for the long run, love,” promised Rarity. “Daddy issues or no, I intend to remain for as long as you let me. Just promise me that you won’t shut me out like this again. I need you to talk to me, and you need to talk to someone.”
Twilight didn’t quite know what to say, which was a strange and uncomfortable feeling to her. She was unsure and confused, but it didn’t feel like the end of the world, like Twilight thought it should. Something about the confidence in Rarity’s voice, the assurance that she would be there, coupled with her shining blue eyes that twinkled with a determined sort of passion, all came together to not only relax Twilight, but put her near tears.
“I… I don’t know what I’d do without you,” choked Twilight. Rarity stretched to the tip of her hoof and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.
“I hope you’ll never have to find out, darling,” said Rarity. “I love you more than anything, and I hope you understand that. If a virus that should have killed you couldn’t keep us apart, nothing will be able to.”
“Rarity… Once again, when I felt like I was going to die, you brought me right back to life,” said Twilight, giving her love a watery smile. “Come on. Let’s go home.”
That day, that walk in the park, was the last time Twilight ever worried about losing Rarity. Despite her natural paranoia and distrust of things she didn’t understand (and, to say that Twilight Sparkle didn’t understand love would be a bit of an understatement), she was confident that Rarity would sooner die than leave her alone.
Twilight smiled, wrapped her wing around Rarity’s shoulder, and the two walked home, hand-in-hand. Twilight was never one for the outdoors, but she knew that she needed this walk, if for nothing else than the fresh air and the excuse to snuggle and show off her girlfriend in public.